World-Class Studio Experience Inspires Warsaw Community High School Students

One of the biggest advantages of having a world-class studio in our backyard here in Warsaw, Indiana, is the opportunity to invest in the future of our community through our high school students.

Through our partnership with Warsaw Community Schools, we do just that by matching our expertise in video production with their desire to inspire students with hands-on opportunities to create meaningful videos in the real world.

Just recently, we were excited to welcome Scott Greene, the digital media teacher for the Warsaw Area Career Center, and his high school digital media class into our studio space for some real, hands-on access to our world-class studio equipment. What an inspiring group of students!

One thing to know about this class is that they are gaining experience and working with real clients and serving real needs for video production in our community.

In fact, Scott books work for the students with local businesses and nonprofits in the community, and we work with them to set the project up for success. And now that they have some good equipment in their classroom and access to our studio space, they’re off and running! 

We recently talked with Scott Greene about the impact the digital media program is having on his students and how their visit to DreamOn Studios inspired them in a big way.

We also learned about the value we can give students through inspiration and showing them what they’re capable of. 

Scott’s Dream

For Scott, this class and experience over the last year fulfilled a lifelong dream since he was 19!

“When I was 19 years old, I wrote down a lifetime goal: to use video production to invest in students. I had just graduated high school at the time and was working as an intern at a video production company and advertising agency. I found the piece of paper where I wrote down my lifetime goal nearly 30 years ago. It came true in August 2022! This has been my first year of teaching, and I love it!”

“I love helping kids have an ‘aha’ moment. I love helping them realize something they didn’t know before—when they start to understand why a certain shot was used or why mystery or intrigue was used to engage an audience. I love to help them realize that video can be used to raise money, inspire, encourage, or challenge people. I love helping them understand that this tool, often used negatively, can be used positively for great causes and outcomes!”

The opportunity to bring his students to the studio space allowed them to get their hands on the equipment for extra inspiration, but they’re not the only ones who enjoyed it!

Welcoming Students To DreamOn Studios

“I love the DreamOn Studios space!” Scott exclaimed. “It is unique and unlike any other space in Warsaw. It rivals some boutique spaces in major cities with technology that is generally reserved for major, high-end environments. 

The students were both nervous and excited to visit the space. Watching them jockey for positions on what they would do inside the studio was fun. They were grateful to touch and use the equipment, some for the first time!”

It was also fun for the students to realize our very own Mason Geiger, Stephen Donley, and Sophie Olson were in this same class in high school once too.

“These are people that just not too long ago, were students just like them, taking this class and now working at and leading DreamOn Studios!” said Scott.

Access to DreamOn Studios is like nothing Scott experienced when he was in high school!

Scott reflected that had he had the experience of being in a class like this in high school, with exposure to a world-class studio like DreamOn Studios, he believes he would have discovered his path a lot sooner.

“There was nothing like the DreamOn Studio space when I was a kid. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I even got to walk into and get my hands on an environment like this. 

The fact that these kids are getting there five years sooner than I did does two things. Number one, it allows a kid to decide if this is a career pathway they want to pursue.

Secondly, it helps them figure out if they might want to work at a place like DreamOn Studios someday. Being there was really inspiring for them!”

It’s about inspiration.

The inspiration the space offers is one of the biggest things we’re excited about for these students!

“I hope students are inspired by what they create, whether they go into production work full time or not. I hope this program unleashes their creativity,” said Matt Deuel, co-founder and executive producer of DreamOn Studios.

“The moment you create something, put it out in the world, and have people respond to it is so satisfying, and one that I hope these students can experience.”

“Students actually want to be inspired,” Scott continued. “They want to work hard. They want to impress us, but they don’t always know how to do that on their own; they can’t always conjure up inspiration.

As adults, we have to help initiate inspiration. Part of that is showing them why you do something and including them in the whole process.

Every time we do something, like hold meetings, talk about the budget, or engage with our clients, we learn together. Ultimately, the students want to be included. Even behind the scenes, they eat it up when we include them.

So I encourage people to treat them like adults and remember they will let us down sometimes because they’re still kids, but it’s essential to give them a safe place to fail and watch what happens as they learn and grow.

That’s what this class and exposure to a place like DreamOn Studios offer these students—an opportunity to be inspired and grow.

These kids are inspiring me too. I was out for a couple of days one week, and my students ran a complete shoot without me! They interviewed one of our administrators, and the feedback I got afterward was that they were professional and did a fantastic job.

We consistently hear about the products they’re cranking out and how impressed people are with their work. It’s so encouraging and inspiring to me.”

Building the future for good.

Ultimately, digital media and video production are tools we’re teaching these students how to use, and it’s up to them how they choose to use it.

“We have four words we keep in front of us at all times for every project we do,” said Scott. “Every project does one of four (or multiple) things: it inspires, informs, empowers, or educates. I want all the kids in our school to understand that digital media, whether it’s in the form of the internet, video, audio, or podcasting, all of those mediums have the power to inspire, inform, empower, and educate people. And it can be used for good!”

One of the recent projects they worked on was for a Feed My Starving Children event at Warsaw Community Schools. It helped them see how video could be used to celebrate something happening in the community.

“The opportunity to produce a video and share it with our community is like pouring gas on the fire,” Scott explained. “It was an exciting project because it was their first real client. Seeing these kids work with a client and produce something for them is inspiring.

I’m grateful for the support of the Warsaw Community School system and DreamOn Studios for investing in technology, media, and students’ interest to tell stories,” said Scott.

“While we were there, Tim Early, the CEO of the DreamOn Group, not only encouraged and welcomed the students to the studio, he showed up and spent time with them. He encouraged them and talked to them about what it takes to lead and start a business. I’m so grateful for his commitment to the kids, myself, and this community!”

We’re honored to partner with Warsaw Community Schools to stand alongside our students and show them that we believe in them and what they are capable of!

Connect With DreamOn Studios

If you’re interested in learning more about our studio space or how you can get involved with our partnership with Warsaw Community Schools, please contact us here. We’d love to partner with you on your next project!